Inspiring a Civil Workplace at Your Credit Union

by Joyce Marsh, SPHR, Sr. HR Consultant

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone said and did the right thing all the time and no one’s feelings ever got hurt? That would be a perfect world – which, of course, we know we don’t live in. But we can wish, can’t we?!

Ensuring that employees practice civility at your credit union is a progressive activity. Civility being courteous and polite. It doesn’t sound that difficult to be nice, but because of various negative factors, we sometimes digress. Following are some tips for resisting bad manners and encouraging civility at your credit union. Remember, it starts with you:

• Personality conflicts – Empathetically putting oneself in the other person’s “shoes” can help you see the conflict in a completely different light.
• Holding your tongue – Think before speaking. Look for the good in others and focus on their strengths.
• Lead by example – Random acts of kindness and sincere compliments of a “job well done” are always encouraging. And they’re much better than speeches that tear someone down.

The Cost of Incivility

Incivility is degrading to all who are affected by it, regardless of whether it is directed at them or if they’re a witness to its hurtfulness. When incivility reigns, it can quickly turn into a claim of harassment or a hostile work environment.

Train your employees to be respectful of others, and to look for positive qualities in them too.
Someday, they themselves, could be the victim, and what a lonely place that would be! Teaching employees to be aware of, and think about, the effects of what they say or do can help them be more thoughtful and considerate workmates. Civility leads to less turnover, better productivity and a happier staff.

5 Ways to Grow Your Credit Union This Summer

Most organizations seem to face a summer slowdown each year, even credit unions. Thanks to summer vacations, both staff and members become sparse. Even though on some of these slow, summer day it’s nice to relax and enjoy the calm. But there are several, and more productive, ways to spend these upcoming summer months.

1. Play Online
   No, we’re not talking about Candy Crush Saga or Minecraft … But on a slow business day take a look at all of those new social media platforms you’ve heard about but never tried. Set up a business profile and test it out. Come fall, if you don’t think it’s worth it – just remove your profile. You won’t know unless you try!
   
2. Update Your Site
   We’re sure you’ve been meaning to update your website’s content or layout all year long. But the day-to-day tasks can force you to put it on the backburner. Summer is the time to go through your site to ensure everything is current. It’s also the perfect opportunity to review it and see if it’s time to get a new look to better mesh with your credit union’s brand, or update it to be responsive. Don’t wait until fall when your workload picks back up.
   
3. Get Out There
   With all of the summer festivals and community events, now is when you want to get out and about and mingle with your community. Sponsor a charity run or host a booth at the art fair. You’ll not only get your credit union’s name and brand out there, you might get the chance to network some new partnerships and enrich the ones you already have. Plus, who wants to sit at a desk when it’s so nice outside!
   
4. Snap Some Pics
   While you’re out and about this summer, don’t forget to take plenty of photos! Thanks to the prevalence on cameras on phones, you have no excuse to get some pics when your credit union is at these community events. Once you take them, just don’t forget to post them on your Facebook page or website for all to see. Nothing boosts traffic as much as a great photo.
   
5. Tend to Your Staff
   Staff development can also be something that gets put on a backburner when those deadlines keep looming. Work one-on-one with staff to ensure they’re keeping up with their goals and that any issues are being properly addressed. No use waiting until the end of the year reviews to improve the performance of not only your staff, but your credit union as well.

The good news is that no matter what season, the CU Solutions Group team is always ready, willing and able to support your credit union. Our marketing, technologyand HR divisions can help you with any and all of the tips above. Just let us know what we can do to make your credit union’s summer be the best yet!

Take a Closer Look at Your Credit Union's Job Descriptions

by Joyce Marsh, SPHR, Sr. HR Consultant

Job descriptions. They’re something every credit union human resource person and manager know are important, but keeping them current and pertinent can sometimes slip through the cracks.

Having the most accurate job descriptions for your employees not only ensures everyone is on the same page on duties and responsibilities, but they can help protect your credit union from facing disability discrimination claims.

Six Steps to Assist

If your credit union has at least 15 employees, you need to ensure that your job descriptions correctly identify what all the essential job functions are of each position – and list any specific tools or resources needed. Here are six steps to  help ensure that all of your current and potential employees have the most comprehensive job descriptions:

1. Collect Information and Analyze
   Why not start at the source? Interview your employees and managers about the various positions. Use questionnaires. You might even want to take some time to casually observe your employees in their positions to confirm that your descriptions are correct.
   
2. Use Visual Aids
   If an employee needs specific resources or equipment for their job, include a photo of what they are. Or, depending on the position, you could videotape the individual performing their job.
   
3. Identify Hazards
   Include any hazardous exposure disclosures that safety laws require.
   
4. Describe the Environment
   Is the position indoors or outdoors? Is there easy access from one floor to the next (stairs and/or elevator)?
   
5. Mental and Physical
   Be sure the job description includes employer expectations outlining mental and physical requirements, education and training plus any attendance or schedule requirements.
   
6. Making Distinctions
   As with anything, there’s a difference between what’s required and what would be “nice to have.” There’s no place in a job description for the latter. Only include what an employee needs to get the job done.

Writing Those Descriptions

When it comes to sitting down and actually writing the job descriptions, you’ll want to: use simple and concise language with active verbs; try not to include any industry jargon that outsiders may not comprehend; use a consistent format throughout all your job descriptions; and have supervisors and employees verify the information. Combine these and the six steps above and you’ll have comprehensive job descriptions to keep everyone on the same page at your credit union and the Americans with Disabilities Act satisfied.

Variable Pay Trends in Credit Union Executive Compensation

by Megan Mohr, CCP, Compensation Consultant
HR Performance Solutions

Each credit union executive earns his or her annual salary for the work performed for the organization. However, in addition to base pay, credit union executives are often incentivized through variable pay. This additional compensation is typically earned by meeting predetermined standards for individual and organizational performance. Because the size of the reward is determined by the degree to which specific goals were met and the potential exists for no payment to be made, the variable pay component is often referred to as pay at risk.

In recent years, variable pay has become a very popular mechanism to reward senior management. Since the rewards are typically tied to organizational or individual performance, these payments are easily defensible. The trend in executive compensation continues to include variable pay and shows a steady increase in its use. The most obvious benefit of variable pay plans is their ability to motivate executives by financially incentivizing them to pursue activities that result in positive outcomes for the credit union. At its core, variable pay should pay for results. Another reason many organizations have found variable pay plans to be desirable is from an economic perspective. When economic circumstances are tough, variable pay can still be utilized to motivate employees and result in positives for organizational success as well. The general consensus is that variable pay plans have the potential to be very positive for an organization. However, great care should be taken to ensure that the plan is properly implemented and administered.

In 2013, between 75% and 80% of credit union executives were eligible to receive variable pay. Data available indicates that these variable pay offerings are predominately based on organizational performance, though individual performance can sometimes be a component as well. Some of the most common metrics used to measure organizational success, and therefore the size of these payments, are return on assets, loan growth, membership growth, expense ratios, and net income. Below is a chart which indicates the percentage of credit unions using various metrics to determine the payment of variable pay to credit union executives.

  

In addition to the criteria listed in the above chart, other metrics which may be used by credit unions are: savings growth, board evaluation, gross income, number of services added, membership satisfaction, net worth, asset growth, strategic initiatives, savings/checking growth, products/services per member, employee satisfaction, charge-offs and net promoter score.


CU Solutions Group understand salary and compensation administration. If your credit union needs some help, take a look at two of our popular products, Performance Pro and Compease.